


A new tradition

by gilleboll



Series: Lightwood-Bane family [4]
Category: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Halloween Costumes, M/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 09:54:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21251483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gilleboll/pseuds/gilleboll
Summary: The Lightwood-Banes tackle their first Halloween as trick-or-treaters.





	A new tradition

Max had barely darted out of his room before lively chatter filled the living room. The sound wafted in through the open door, the sound of it making a smile creep across Magnus’s face. He followed his youngest out into the rest of the apartment where Max and Rafael were chasing each other around the copious Halloween decorations they’d all put up over the course of the last week; pumpkins—big and small—lined the windowsills, bat shaped decals and garlands were fastened wherever there was space on the walls, and fake cobwebs hung from several of the ceiling lamps and doorways. Alec had pointed out that the spider webs were so thick that they didn’t even make sense anymore, but he’d been quickly booed into silence by the others. 

Now he had several strands of said cobweb tangled in his hair and he stood with the Chairman in his arms, watching the kids weaving back and forth between the furniture. Magnus closed the door to Max’s room quietly behind him and, hoping his husband was distracted being a good and watchful parent, snuck up behind him. He walked the tips of his fingers along the back of Alec’s neck, leaning in to murmur ”There’s a spider on you,” in his ear.

Alec ducked away from Magnus’s playful touch with a visible shudder going through his body. Chairman Meow, not a fan of the sudden jostling, squirmed his way out of Alec’s hold and leapt down onto the floor. 

”Not funny,” Alec said, though his stern face cracked into a smile after only a few seconds of looking at Magnus trying to hold his laughter back. He reached out to pull the wisps of white cotton from Alec’s hair. 

”It was  _ very _ funny,” he said with a smile. Alec just shook his head before returning his attention to Max and Rafael.

”Boys?” he called. ”Wanna line up for a picture?” The boys stopped in their tracks to look at their dad, Rafe with Max’s witch hat held high above his head and Max with a tight grip on Rafe’s vampire cloak. There was a moment of silence before a cacophony of overlapping children’s arguing broke out.

”Rafael stole my hat!”

”Max tore my costume!”

”Did not!”

”Yes you did!” Rafe held his cloak up and looked pleadingly at Magnus.  _ ”¡Él lo hizo! ¡Mira!” _ Magnus did look, and there was indeed a small tear along the hem of the cheap fabric. He ran a hand across it to fix the damage. 

”There you go,  _ mijo _ ,” he said and gave Rafael a kiss on the head. ”All fixed.”

Rafe inspected his cloak before throwing a look at Max, who was curled up on Alec’s lap, discussing something in hushed tones.

”I don’t want it,” Rafe then declared, tugging at the collar of the cloak. 

”But you picked it out yourself this morning,” Magnus pointed out.

”Don’t want it,” Rafe said before undoing the knot that kept the cloak on and dumping the garment on the floor, and that was that. 

”Rafael,” Magnus exhaled, making eye contact with Alec over their son’s head. He looked just about as helpless as Magnus felt. 

”Are you sure?” Alec asked, and Rafe turned to look at him instead. He crossed his arms and sat down on the floor.

”Yes. I don’t want it,” he huffed. From his perch on Alec’s knee, Max tossed his pointed hat on the floor and crossed his arms just like his brother had done. 

”I don’t want it either,” he announced. Both Magnus and Alec let out a unified, exasperated sigh before diving into a quick and wordless conversation. Magnus took a steadying breath. This could still be salvaged.

”Okay,” he said, looking at Rafael. ”If you don’t want to be a vampire, then what do you want to dress as?”

Without as much as a moment’s hesitation, Rafe snatched up the witch hat that Max had thrown down. ”Magic!” 

All eyes went to Max, expecting a shriek in protest. 

”Is that okay Max?” Magnus asked. ”That Rafe wears your hat?”

Max looked pensive for a second, and Magnus was just waiting for the impending tantrum. 

It didn’t come.

Instead, Max nodded. ”Okay,” he said. 

”Okay,” Alec echoed, sounding relieved. The last thing he’d needed was a screaming warlock toddler to deal with. 

”Then there’s just the question of what  _ you _ want to be,” Magnus said to Max. Max started to climb down from Alec’s lap, and Alec helped him down onto the floor, where he made a grab for Rafael’s discarded cloak.

”You want to be a vampire, buddy?” Alec asked. Max hugged the cloak to his chest and nodded again.

”It would suit him,” Magnus said, raising an eyebrow at Alec, who snorted. 

”It would,” he confirmed.

With that issue settled, Magnus and Alec busied themselves with switching their kids’ costumes. Max’s hat for Rafe’s cloak, a wand for a set of fangs, until Max was all decked out in vampire gear and Rafe looked like a proper little witch. They also had a bright orange, pumpkin shaped plastic bucket each, for keeping any of their candy in. 

”Bet you’re happy you agreed to do this now,” Magnus mumbled to Alec, who had needed some convincing to bring the boys trick-or-treating.

”Yeah,” Alec said, tearing his eyes away from Max and Rafe admiring each other’s costumes to smile at Magnus. ”Look how excited they are.”

Magnus couldn’t help but smile as well. ”As if I could look away.”

Alec hummed and put his arm around Magnus’s waist to pull him close. He rested his head on Magnus’s shoulder. ”Let’s get a picture and get going before all the good candy’s gone,” he murmured, and Magnus’s smile grew into a wide grin.

”Alexander,” he said, turning his head to look at Alec. ”Who knew you were such a trick-or-treat expert?”

”I learned from the best,” Alec said before giving Magnus a peck on the lips. Then he addressed the boys;

”Hey, you two! Can you stand still so I can show Aunt Izzy and Uncle Jace your costumes?”

Once pictures had been taken, family members had gushed, and any final adjustments to the costumes had been made, it was time to finally head out. Magnus locked the door behind them before taking Max’s hand in his and walking behind Alec, who had Rafael sitting on his shoulders. Rafe made wide gestures as he babbled things to Alec that Magnus couldn’t hear, but he smiled anyway. He just knew that kid was going to take Halloween by storm. Magnus hoisted Max up into his arms and hurried so he could catch up to Alec. 

”What are you two whispering about?” he asked.

”How we’re going to get  _ way _ more candy than you two,” Alec said with a sly grin. 

Magnus returned the grin without hesitation. ”I’d like to see you try, Alexander. I’d like to see you try.”

**Author's Note:**

> huge thank you to [@kittyisthepurestshipevercreated](https://kittyisthepurestshipevercreated.tumblr.com) on tumblr for helping me get the spanish right!
> 
> happy halloween, and thanks for reading! kudos and comments are, as always, greatly appreciated!<3
> 
> [find me on tumblr!](https://gilleboll.tumblr.com)


End file.
